Modi’s speech lost in translation: ‘Big changes taking place in Kerala. I am very happy’

PM Modi began his address to BJP supporters in Thrissur by apologizing for not coming to the southern state sooner. But K Surendran, clearly weak in Hindi, translated a different version.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi

K Surendran, the BJP general secretary in Kerala, had an embarrassing moment on Monday when he wrongly translated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindi speech in Malayalam.

PM Modi began his address to BJP supporters in Thrissur by apologizing for not coming to the southern state sooner. But Surendran, clearly weak in Hindi, translated a different version.

This is what the Prime Minister said: “First of all I have to apologize to the people here in Kerala because I am late in coming here. I should have come sooner. But now, I promise that this will not happen.”

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But unfortunately, this is what Surendan translated: “I am very happy to arrive here in Kerala. From a long time, I have made regular visits to Kerala. But now the situation here in Kerala is not the same. There are big changes taking places here. I am very happy.”

Once the other leaders on the dais realized the mistake in translation and perhaps to avoid further faux pas, Surendran was quickly replaced by state BJP president V Muraleedharan who translated the bit correctly.

However, the damage had already been done. Snippets of the video have started going viral on social media platforms.

This is Narendra Modi’s first visit to Kerala after becoming the Prime Minister, which is ruled by Congress led UDF government.

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WATCH VIDEO: K Surendran’s Speech Translation Of Narendra Modi in Kerala

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